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In advance of the September 29th Software Lab Zoom meeting, please think about a branching scenario you would like to work on. It could be a dialogue you built in a word document or a Rise or Storyline branching scenario that you came across. Bring it to the meeting. You will use that to build your Twine story.

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A variable is a container that holds one value at a time. That value can be true or false, a word or phrase, or a number. You can define your variable at any point during the course creation and use it on any slide in the course. As you can see, there are three types of variables: true/false, text, and number. Each variable gets a unique name with no spaces. When creating the variable, the default value is set. Of course, that value can be changed as you use the variable. The variable manager shows the number of times a variable is used within the course. To make changes to the variable, we use triggers. There are many uses for variables within a course that can help create more advanced interactions. I created a sample that shows variables in action. Check it out, and let me know what you think. All feedback is welcome. https://360.articulate.com/review/content/2ca5e94e-3070-46b3-ada4-2decac25785a/review

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A variable is a container that holds one value at a time. That value can be true or false, a word or phrase, or a number. You can define your variable at any point during the course creation and use it on any slide in the course. As you can see, there are three types of variables: true/false, text, and number. Each variable gets a unique name with no spaces. When creating the variable, the default value is set. Of course, that value can be changed as you use the variable. The variable manager shows the number of times a variable is used within the course. To make changes to the variable, we use triggers. There are many uses for variables within a course that can help create more advanced interactions. I created a sample that shows variables in action. Check it out, and let me know what you think. All feedback is welcome. https://360.articulate.com/review/content/2ca5e94e-3070-46b3-ada4-2decac25785a/review

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Gather and Share Stakeholder Feedback on E-Learning Courses - Review 360

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Collect consolidated feedback from stakeholders on interactive training courses built with Storyline 360 and Rise 360.

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This week, we'll continue where we left off with Sarah Hodge's Articulate Webinar and move into using motion paths to add interest and animation to our Storyline projects.

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Hi everyone, Welcome to IOTW 2.0. Carol and I are taking this weekly session over after Katie Gibbs has completed her time with AIDA.

Each week, we will post some information in a new column that relates to the Storyline interaction that we will learn how to build together. Sometimes we may assign "homework" which would only involve something simple like setting up your slide with a picture before joining the meeting. For the first week that Carol and I are leading, there is no homework - YAY!

Because this meeting is Katie's brainchild, and because there are recordings of all the previous meetings in the Padlet linked above, at some point we may branch out from Storyline "interactions," but we will keep it consistent for now.

If there are any interactions that you would like us to focus on, please feel free to reach out to either Carol or me in the Facebook group or on Messenger and let us know. We can either work it into the agenda, or point you toward the recording of a previous IOTW that already covered that topic.

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This week,  we'll explore Scrolling Panels, what can be included in them, and how, when, and where to use them. 

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This week,  we'll explore Scrolling Panels, what can be included in them, and how, when, and where to use them. 

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We'll start with this quick introduction:

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Extending Slide Content in Articulate Storyline Using Scroll Panels

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Link to Previous weeks (4/14/21 and earlier):

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Link to Previous weeks (4/14/21 and earlier):

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Password: 1234

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This week, we'll be working on how to build drop-down menus in Storyline360. We'll post the recording if you can't make the live session.

This interaction incorporates some common Storyline functions, so it is good for newbies and those of you who are more familiar with the tool. We'll also brainstorm use cases and try to give a decent amount of work time for those who want to develop their practice sample a little more fully.

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We'll watch these two videos during the co-working session as our guide, pausing periodically so everyone can build and ask questions together. Feel free to preview them if you'd like.

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Mark Spermon - Articulate Storyline Tutorials

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How to create a custom drop down list interaction in Storyline 360

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Articulate Storyline tutorial: How to create an easy drop down menu

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If we have a chance, this one puts the drop-down menu in the Slide Master and uses some good animations, strategies, etc.

I believe her template is also available to download here: https://veronicab.com.au/drop-down-menu/

And a community discussion about it here: https://community.articulate.com/e-learning-examples/storyline-360-vibrant-drop-down-menu-example

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Storyline 360 - How to create a drop-down menu

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Some really cool examples of Dropdown use cases here. Feel free to take a look to get some ideas.

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(it's the same every week!)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82531939084

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Downloadable background for one of our working projects.

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Downloadable background for one of our working projects.

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Hi all! Well, we went easy on you for the first week. IOTW homework is back. Please come to the meeting on Wednesday with a slide that has either an image or content that you would like to use to convert to free form. If you use a picture, it can have different components that you can duplicate and use for answer choices. You don't have to worry about doing any of that in advance, just have the picture or content pre-selected so you are ready to start working. That way we can focus on the HOW and not the WHAT as we work together on Wednesday.

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Converting Static Content to Interactive eLearning

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Converting Static Content to Interactive eLearning

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This article from eLearning heroes explains the concept of what we'll be working on together. Feel free to take a look in advance to wrap your mind around it. But as usual, we will walk through the concept and use cases before we dig in.

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Converting Static to Interactive E-Learning #299: Challenge | Recap

How to Make Static E-Learning More Interactive

Storyline's convert to freeform option offers six super easy ways to transform slide content into interactive slides. The process is the same for each question type, so it's really up to you to choose the interaction type that best suits your new question.

Technically, there's nothing challenging about using convert to freeform. You design your slide, click a button, and select the choices and feedback. That's easy.

The challenge lies in the different ways to present your static content interactively. Because you're working with existing content, the context for the activity is already in place; you just need to reframe the content into a meaningful question.

Here's How Convert to Freeform Can Make You a Better E-Learning Designer

One of the easiest ways to practice moving static content to something more interactive is to reframe your existing content into the form of a question. This is a great way to create informal, interactive knowledge checks without extending your project's timeline.
Here's how it works:

1. Begin with your static slide

2. Duplicate the slide

3. Convert the slide to a freeform question

4. Reframe the static content into the form of a question

Rinse and repeat for each question type.

Challenge of the Week

This week, your challenge is to take a static content slide and convert it into each of the six freeform question types.

The only new content you should add to the freeform questions is instruction and feedback. You shouldn't have to create new content to make the questions work.

Share Your E-Learning Work

Comments: Use the comments section below to share a link to your published example and blog post.

Forums: Start your own thread and share a link to your published example..

Personal blog: If you have a blog, please consider writing about your challenges. We'll link back to your posts so the great work you're sharing gets even more exposure.

Social Media: If you share your demos on Twitter or LinkedIn, try using #ELHChallenge so your tweeps can track your e-learning coolness.

Last Week's Challenge:

To help you kickstart this week's challenge, check out the animated timer examples your fellow challengers shared over the past week:

Countdown Timers in E-Learning RECAP #298: Challenge | Recap

New to the E-Learning Challenges?

The weekly e-learning challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I'll update the recap posts to include your demos.

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Converting Static Content Into Interactive E-Learning #299 - E-Learning Heroes

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This week, your challenge is to take a static content slide and convert it into each of the six freeform question types. The only new content you should add to the freeform questions is instruction and feedback. You shouldn't have to create new content to make the questions work.

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This ELH Challenge demonstrates some use cases for these types of interactions. We'll look over them together, but feel free to take a look now.

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Static to Interactive E-Learning Examples RECAP #299: Challenge | Recap

This week's challenge asked course designers to transform a static content slide into each of the six freeform question types in Storyline 360. This was a great week of examples because they demonstrate the different ways course designers can reframe static content into something more interactive.

Ashi (Neha) Tandon

Jen Edgerton

Kimberly Eng

Jodi Sansone

Example | Jodi Sansone | @jodimsansone

Ang CM

Joel Rachal

David Mestas

Kelly Cooke

Veronica Budnikas

Lizzie Angell

Julie Grosclaude

Example | Julie Grosclaude | Website | @julie_grscld

Gabrielle Hebert

Example | Gabrielle Hebert

Jennifer Clarke

Example | Jennifer Clarke

Molly Fisher

R. Eric Smith

Thierry EMMANUEL

Example | Thierry EMMANUEL

Rachna Ghiya

New to the E-Learning Challenges?

The weekly challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I'll update the recap posts to include your demos.

If you have a blog, please consider writing about your challenges. We'll link back to your posts so the great work you're sharing gets even more exposure.

If you share your demos on Twitter, please include #ELHChallenge so your tweeps can track your e-learning coolness.

Share Your Static to Interactive Makeovers!

The convert to freeform challenge is still open! If you have one or more ideas you'd like to share, please jump over to the original challenge and post your links in the comments section. I'll update this recap page to include your examples.

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18 Examples Show How Static Content Can be Transformed Into Interactive E-learning #299

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This week's challenge asked course designers to transform a static content slide into each of the six freeform question types in Storyline 360. This was a great week of examples because they demonstrate the different ways course designers can reframe static content into something more interactive.

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This is the David Anderson drag and drop tutorial that I mentioned during our meeting

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How to Reset Your Drag-and-Drop Items in Articulate Storyline 360

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We'll then follow along and build together with this video:

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Articulate Storyline tutorial: How to display content with scrolling panels

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You'll be able to make this!

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Let's get moving on Cinco de Mayo with Animations and Motion Paths!

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Let's get moving on Cinco de Mayo with Animations and Motion Paths!

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This week, we'll follow along with Articulate Community Manager Sarah Hodge's webinar on building animations to enhance learner engagement and enjoyment.

You can preview the video, linked below, to get a head start, or just wait till Wednesday and we'll watch it together.

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Please note:  This week's session will be only 1 hour, from 5-6 pm Central Time.

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Please note:  This week's session will be only 1 hour, from 5-6 pm Central Time.

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Here's a tidbit on horizontal scrolling:

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How to create a horizontal scrolling panel in Articulate Storyline

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Here's another use case that triggers a scrolling photo strip with lightboxes:

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Create a scrolling photo strip in articulate storyline

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While not a Scrolling Panel, #5 on this list offers a tip to create a seamless scrolling effect.

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Articulate Storyline is a powerful e-learning authoring tool, packed full of brilliant features. But Storyline has a ton of super-smart, below-the-radar shortcuts up its sleeve. Here, I've picked my ten favorite hidden features, tips, and tricks to help you work smarter and faster.

1. The Lorem Ipsum / Random Text Shortcut

Next time you're throwing together a quick prototype, don't worry about cutting and pasting lorem ipsum or placeholder text into your project screens. Save time by using this nifty little Windows shortcut:

1. Insert a text box on your slide.

2. Type =Lorem()

3. Hit Enter.

Boom! Instant filler text. Here's a super-quick video (no audio) to demonstrate these steps.

Pro Tip: Using the =Lorem command auto-generates lorem ipsum text. Following the same steps but typing the =Rand command generates standard "the quick brown fox ..." filler text.

2. Add Animation to an Object's State

Object states aren't exactly a big secret, but many folks are surprised when I tell them that they can easily add animation effects to an object's state. In fact, using animation on an object's state is one of my favorite ways to add emphasis. For example, I like to add a little checkmark that wipes or fades in on topic buttons when the learner completes all of the activities within that topic. This gives learners a nice, clear visual that they've completed this part of my course.

Adding animation to an object's state is easy. Here's how:

1. Select the object state to which you want to add animation.

2. Apply animations to your object from the "Animate" menu.

3. Click "Done" and preview your slide or scene to see how the effect is working.

And here's a super-quick video (no audio) to demonstrate these steps, too.

3. Add Cinematic Flair

Want your course to be a little more dramatic? Well then you'll love how easily you can add some cinematic flair to your screens just by placing a few zoom regions over your onscreen images. The basic formula is as follows:

Zoom Out: Place a zoom region at the beginning of the timeline so the opening shot is a close-up that zooms out to reveal the bigger picture.

Zoom In: Insert a zoom region and drag it to the point on your timeline when you want the zoom effect to appear.

Pan and Zoom: Insert multiple zoom regions next to each other on the timeline. This creates a panning effect that seamlessly shifts from one area of focus to the next.

Here's a video to walk you through these steps.

And to learn more about how to use Storyline's zoom regions, check out this detailed article and example.

4. Press "C" On Your Keyboard to Add a Cue Point to the Timeline

Use a lot of audio in your courses? If so, you're probably familiar with how to drag objects on your timeline to sync up with your audio. But did you know there's an even easier way? Here's how:

1. While playing the audio, hit the C key on your keyboard to add a numbered cue point to the timeline.

2. Right-click and select "Align to Cue Point" or manually slide objects on the timeline to align them to the cue points.

Here's a short and sweet video of these steps.

For a step-by-step tutorial and practice with cue points, check out Syncing Animations with Audio in Storyline 2.

5. Create a Seamless Scrolling Effect

Ever see a website or use an app where the screens just seamlessly transition from one to the next? Ever wonder how you could create a similar effect in one of your Storyline projects?

I've got good news! Nicole Legault spilled the beans on this Storyline secret with this free template download, Storyline 2: Seamless Scrolling Effect.

The secret to this technique lies in lining up your shapes in Storyline and then using push transitions (under the transitions menu) to make it all come to life.

See a quick version of how it's done, below.

6. Add Video to Markers

When you think about using video in e-learning, you probably think of it as a primary screen element. But sometimes videos aren't the real star of the show, although they may still offer some nice-to-know info or context for learners.

For instance, new product training often uses sleekly produced marketing videos to demonstrate products in use, but those videos don't always offer much in the way of instructional value on their own. So how can you include such video in a way that makes sense and doesn't clutter up your course? Add it to a marker! Here's how:

1. With the marker selected, go to the format tab on the ribbon and click "Media."

2. Choose from one of the video options, either: video from file, video from website, or record webcam.

To see how this is done, don't miss this quick video.

And for more creative ideas for using markers in Storyline, don't miss this helpful article.

7. Scale the Course Player to Fill the Browser Window

Setting aside mobile devices, there's a lot of variation in screen sizes for desktop monitors these days. Storyline gives you the ability to control the response of the course player when it's launched on various browser screens by choosing the "Scale player to fill browser window" option in the Player Properties menu. Selecting this option allows your course to fill the web browser window while maintaining its original aspect ratio. This means your course can be scaled up or down from its optimal size.

Check out this recent Storyline download to see how this option looks and feels. And here's how it's done:

1. Under the Player Properties menu, click on "Other."

2. Use the player size drop-down menu to select "scale player to fill browser window."

When you view your published output, you'll be able to see how this change was applied to your project. Keep in mind that there is no one perfect solution for this challenge. And while this type of scaling can help you avoid having your course cut off on smaller screens, the trade-off may be a loss of clarity on larger monitors.

You can watch the above steps in action in this quick video.

8. Add a Lightbox to the Course Player

One of my favorite things about Storyline is how much you can customize the course player (more on that in a moment). And one of my favorite hidden gems is the ability to add a custom tab to the course player and then trigger that tab to launch a slide or slides in a lightbox.

This trick is super-handy for making ancillary course resources, navigation help, or other tips and instructions available to learners right on the course player, while freeing up valuable screen real estate for critical content. Here's how to set it up:

1. Go to the features tab in the player properties window.

2. Add a new custom tab to the top-bar right, which displays an existing slide as a lightbox when the user clicks it.

And here's a video to demo these steps.

9. Make the Course Player Invisible

As I mentioned, Storyline's course player gives you a lot of flexibility to customize features, but did you know that you can effectively turn the course player off altogether? Here's a very quick overview:

1. From the player properties menu, features tab, uncheck the default-selected player features to remove them.

2. Click "Colors & Effects" in the custom tab.

3. From here you can access the "Show Advanced Color Editing Link" to customize both the color and transparency of every element of the course player-most of which can be found under "Base."

4. Boost the transparency for items on the base to 100 percent to make them effectively disappear.

That's just a quick overview; but you can find a more detailed step-by-step tutorial from Nicole Legault in this article.

10. Get an Estimate of Your Course's Duration

If you've ever tried to calculate how long a course is, you may have resorted to the "counting the slides and multiplying by X number of minutes" method-or you may just be using gut-instinct based on how long other similar courses have taken your learners to complete.

Either of those methods is fine, but did you know that Storyline actually provides you with an estimate of your course's length? Here's how to find it:

1. In the publish options, click the ellipsis to the right of your project title.

2. Next to "Duration" you'll see a drop-down menu with the default selection "Calculate Automatically" and Storyline's estimated duration in the box to the right of that menu.

Here's a final quick demo to help you find this hidden Storyline treasure.

Just keep in mind that Storyline's estimated duration is just that: an estimate. The duration of a specific slide or an entire course can vary depending on the amount of interactivity, layers, branching scenarios, and other features you've added.

Those are just ten of my favorite semi-secret Storyline features and tips. There are so many more! I love learning and sharing tricks and time-savers, so tell me all about your favorite hidden features or shortcuts in a comment below.
And don't forget to follow us on and come back to E-Learning Heroes regularly for more helpful advice on everything related to e-learning.

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10 Storyline Secrets You Need to Know - E-Learning Heroes

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Articulate Storyline is a powerful e-learning authoring tool, packed full of brilliant features. But Storyline has a ton of super-smart, below-the-radar shortcuts up its sleeve. Here, I've picked my ten favorite hidden features, tips, and tricks to help you work smarter and faster.

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Another fun idea:

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Scrolling panels are versatile space-savers. They let you display more content than would otherwise fit on a slide. Learners scroll vertically to see the additional content.

Scrolling panels can hold text boxes, shapes, pictures, characters, videos, and web objects. In fact, they can hold anything except other scrolling panels and objects that originate from slide master placeholders. Use them on slides, layers, and even slide masters.

Adding Scrolling Panels

1. In Slide View, go to the Insert tab on the ribbon and click Scrolling Panel.

2. Click and drag on the slide or layer to draw your scrolling panel.

Tip: Sometimes it's helpful to draw the scrolling panel especially large at first, so it's easier to drop objects into it. You can resize it at any time by dragging its sizing handles.

Sizing and Moving Scrolling Panels

To resize a scrolling panel, drag any of its sizing handles. To move a scrolling panel, drag it to a new location.

If you're having trouble selecting a scrolling panel without accidentally selecting an object inside it, use the timeline to select the scrolling panel object.

Adding Objects to Scrolling Panels

1. If the object you want to add to a scrolling panel doesn't already exist, you'll need to add it to the slide first.

2. Select the object and drag it over the scrolling panel.

3. When your mouse is over the scrolling panel, release your mouse button to drop the object into the panel. If the object is taller or wider than the panel, part of it will be concealed by the boundary of the panel.

Tip: Although you can add objects to a scrolling panel that are wider than the panel, there won't be a horizontal scroll bar. Scrolling panels only support vertical scrolling.

Removing Objects from Scrolling Panels

1. Select the object that you want to remove from the scrolling panel.

Tip: If you're having trouble selecting the right object, you might need to scroll the panel up or down to see its contents. Another option is to open the timeline and click the triangle next to the scrolling panel object to reveal its contents.

2. Drag the object out of the scrolling panel and drop it on another part of the slide if you want to keep it, or just press the Delete key on your keyboard if you want to remove it altogether.

Formatting Scrolling Panels

Scrolling panels are transparent by default. The slide background and anything that's behind the panel will show through it. However, you can format scrolling panels with fills, outlines, and effects.

Select the scrolling panel, go to the Format tab on the ribbon, then do any of the following:

Select a ready-made shape style.

Choose your own shape fill, outline, and effect.

Click the arrow in the lower right corner of the Shape Styles group to open the Format Shape window.

Tip: The colors available on the Format tab are controlled by your theme colors.

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Scrolling Panels in Storyline 360 - E-Learning Heroes

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Scrolling panels are versatile space-savers. They let you display more content than would otherwise fit on a slide. Learners scroll vertically to see the additional content. Scrolling panels can hold text boxes, shapes, pictures, characters, videos, and web objects. In fact, they can hold anything except other scrolling panels and objects that originate from slide master placeholders.

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Let's explore ways to speed up work flow by getting a grasp on color themes and creating custom color themes.

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eLearning Tutorial: Using Storyline Theme Colors

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Working with Theme Colours in Articulate Storyline

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Job aid for customizing Classic Player menu

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Instructions for customizing text labels on menu:

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Article Last Updated

Articulate Storyline lets you customize the default text used for on-screen messages, screen reader instructions, buttons, and other controls on your course player. You can even switch to a completely different language.

To customize your player's text labels, go to the Home tab on the ribbon and click Player.

When the Player Properties window appears, click Text Labels.

You can customize individual text labels, change all labels on your player to a different language, or switch to a previously saved set of text labels.

Customizing Individual Text Labels

On the left side of the window, Storyline displays a list of all the text labels you can edit. For any item that you want to change, just type your preferred text in the Custom Text column. To see your updated text labels in the preview area, click the Update Preview button at the bottom of the window.

If you'd like to send all the text labels to someone else to customize or translate, download this spreadsheet, which contains a complete list.

Saving Custom Text Labels

When you customize text labels, the changes become part of the current project. If you want to use the same text labels in other courses, do this:

1. Click the Save button to the right of the Language selector.

2. When prompted, enter a name for your new set of text labels and click Save.

This saves your text labels in Storyline's default location, but you can choose a different location if you need to share them with other developers. However, if you choose a location other than the default, the saved text labels won't appear in the Language drop-down for other courses that you build. In that case, you'll need to use the Load button (the folder icon to the right of the Language drop-down) to locate the *.xml file and add it to your language library.

Switching to Another Language or a Set of Custom Text Labels

To switch to a completely different language or a set of custom text labels you previously saved, use the Language drop-down to choose a set of text labels. Custom labels appear at the top of the list, and more than two dozen built-in languages appear below that.

If you saved a set of custom text labels and you're not seeing it in the list, you may have saved it in a location other than Storyline's default. No problem. Just click the Load button (the folder icon to the right of the Language drop-down) to browse for it.

Accessibility Tip: The language you select here will be added to the meta data of the story.html file in your published output and used to identify the language of your course to screen readers.

Saving Player Changes

When you click OK to close the Player Properties window, Storyline saves your player customizations in your project file. However, if you'd like to use the same customizations in other projects, click Current Player on the ribbon and choose Save. Enter a name for the player if you're prompted and click OK.

To learn more about the Current Player options, see Saving Your Player or Switching to a Different One.

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Storyline 2: Customizing the Text Labels - Articulate Support

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Article Last Updated Articulate Storyline lets you customize the default text used for on-screen messages, screen reader instructions, buttons, and other controls on your course player. You can even switch to a completely different language. To customize your player's text labels, go to the Home tab on the ribbon and click Player.

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Articulate Storyline 360: Customizing the Player

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Sharon will lead this week and demonstrate how to customize objects in Storyline by manipulating the gradient fill features.

She's a pro at this, as demonstrated by her glorious dropdown menu for E-Learning Heroes Challenge #328. (link below)

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Drop-Down Menus in E-Learning RECAP #328: Challenge | Recap

This week's challenge asked course designers to share drop-down menu examples for e-learning. Examples featured include drop-down menus for course navigation, personalizing the learning experience, choosing quiz options, and much more!

Adam Zamczyk

Teo Karageorgakis

Jonathan Hill

Example | Learn more | Jonathan Hill | Website | @DevByPowerPoint

Jodi Sansone

Example | Original demo #226 | Download | Jodi Sansone | @jodimsansone

Ron Katz

Chris Hodgson

Sharon Stahrfisher

Example | Sharon Stahrfisher

Richard Mulcahy

Example | Richard Mulcahy

Ang CM

Kimberly Eng

Mark Weingarten

anupama s

Carrie Gauthier

Example | Carrie Gauthier

Joel Colley

Alexandra Angelova

Example | Alexandra Angelova

Elizabeth Pawlicki

Example | Elizabeth Pawlicki

Melissa Santoso

Example | Melissa Santoso

Uliana Dudarenko

Example | Uliana Dudarenko

Rustam Keshtkar

Amoreena Aspenwall-Fredin

Example | Amoreena Aspenwall-Fredin

Sophie Organ

Jerry Beaucaire

Example | Jerry Beaucaire

Example | Jerry Beaucaire

New to the E-Learning Challenges?

The weekly challenges are ongoing opportunities to learn, share, and build your e-learning portfolios. You can jump into any or all of the previous challenges anytime you want. I'll update the recap posts to include your demos.

If you have a blog, please consider writing about your challenges. We'll link back to your posts so the great work you're sharing gets even more exposure.

If you share your demos on Twitter, please include #ELHChallenge so your tweeps can track your e-learning coolness.

Share Your Drop-Down Menu Examples!

The drop-down menu challenge is still open! If you have one or more ideas you'd like to share, please jump over to the original challenge and post your links in the comments section. I'll update this recap page to include your examples.

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23 Examples of Drop-Down Navigation Menus in E-Learning Design #328 - E-Learning Heroes

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Drop-Down Menus in E-Learning RECAP #328: Challenge | Recap This week's challenge asked course designers to share drop-down menu examples for e-learning. Examples featured include drop-down menus for course navigation, personalizing the learning experience, choosing quiz options, and much more!

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This week we'll look at Storyline 360's latest workflow improvement: Text Autofit.

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Article Last Updated

Accessing knowledge is key to every learner's success. Text is a commonly-used element in e-learning courses to convey knowledge and explain concepts. It allows learners to comprehend topics, make connections, and develop insights. Text makes content perceivable to everyone, regardless of their abilities. Thus, text-based information must be readable and accessible to all learners.

In the May 2021 update, we improved the text-authoring experience in Storyline 360. It's easier to control how text fits in its bounding box and make it accessible. These enhancements are enabled by default in new projects. Just install Storyline 360 build 3.52.25156.0 or later to use them. For existing projects, follow these steps to upgrade text.

This feature has a lot to offer, and we'd love to show you around!

Greater Control

Previously, you could create text elements that didn't wrap, allow text to overflow its bounding box, and shrink text to fit. Also, there wasn't an intuitive way to create text elements at a fixed size without shrinking the text and making it difficult for learners to read.

Text autofit improvements give you complete control over text, such as preserving your preferred font size and preventing it from automatically shrinking. There are now three options for managing text elements:

Expand width. Select this option to turn off text wrapping and allow the text box's width to expand to accommodate text.

Expand height. Select this option to turn on text wrapping and allow the text box's height to expand to accommodate text. (The width of the text box is fixed.)

Fixed size. Select this option to lock a text box at a fixed size. When locked, a scroll bar will display for text that doesn't fit.

The autofit settings are mutually exclusive. You can toggle between the three options to see the different modes of fitting text, but you can only choose one.

Check out this before-and-after image to see the difference.

Before

After

Legacy Shrink text on overflow setting

New Fixed size setting

More Precision

Previously, you couldn't set exact dimensions for text boxes. Even if you clicked and dragged a text box to your preferred size, it would resize to the height of the first line of text as soon as you started typing. With text autofit improvements, you have precise control over the size of your text box.

Additionally, Storyline 360 handles text overflow better. That means text won't overflow or shrink so you have control over how it fits within its box.

Another benefit is that you get a more accurate view of how text will look in the published output, giving you confidence that it displays as intended from the beginning.

Faster Workflow

It's frustrating when simple edits take a lot of time. Text autofit improvements provide a smoother experience for handling text so you can accomplish more in less time.

Toggle any text element between the three autofit options with a single click. Just click the indicator at the bottom right of the box.

You can also change the text autofit settings for multiple ungrouped text elements at once. Just select the ones you want to update and right-click on any element, then select Format Shape and choose one of the autofit options.

Improved Readability

Accessible text is HTML text, and different browsers treat HTML text differently. As a result, there may be variations in line and character spacing across browsers even when learners don't change text properties. For example, some browsers add extra spacing, so learners may see unexpected scroll bars in some text elements, such as slide titles.

Text autofit improvements show you where those scroll bars might appear in the published output, so you can remove them before learners see them. Just expand the height of the text element or toggle to the Expand width autofit setting, as shown below.

Another way to help avoid scroll bars and provide more room for design is to use a bigger slide size.

Conversely, scroll bars can improve readability by preventing text from shrinking as it did previously. This is especially helpful for variable references that increase the text length and learners who use accessible text to increase the font size and line spacing.

Compatibility

Text autofit improvements are exclusive to Storyline 360. As a result, new Storyline 360 project files that use this feature won't open in Storyline 3 or earlier versions of Storyline 360. Install Storyline 360 build 3.52.25156.0 or later to open the project.

If you upgrade text in existing projects, Storyline 360 will automatically save a backup copy of the project file with the original settings in case you need to access it in Storyline 3 or an earlier version of Storyline 360.

To learn more about compatibility, visit this article.

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help for storyline 360

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Storyline 360: Text Autofit Improvements - Articulate Support

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Article Last Updated Accessing knowledge is key to every learner's success. Text is a commonly-used element in e-learning courses to convey knowledge and explain concepts. It allows learners to comprehend topics, make connections, and develop insights. Text makes content perceivable to everyone, regardless of their abilities.

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Looking for more hosts and topic requests!

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Looking for more hosts and topic requests!

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A note from Carol and Liz:
Throughout 2 months of hosting IOTW, we have both personally experienced tremendous learning and growth!  We'd now like to see where this co-learning time could go next and open up opportunities to bring in new hosts and ideas.

Do you have a topic, a challenge, or an interaction that you'd like to work through?

Would you like to lead a session?

Go to the sign-up link below to pick a date or to suggest a topic.  Please reach out to Carol with any questions or to talk about next steps.

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Brenda guides us through the many ways to apply shapes to pictures to add visual interest to your Storyline projects.

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Video Editing in PowerPoint
Adding Video
Stock Video
Trimming Video
Audio and Trimming
Exporting as video
Cites for stock Video, transitions, animations, effects and audio

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August 4th join Erika for how to make a simple accordion in Storyline

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August 4th join Erika for how to make a simple accordion in Storyline

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This week we will be building a simple accordion in storyline that opens and closes using motion paths. Please note there are a ton of ways to make accordions and so I will link some videos below. I will be combining a few strategies from each to make it easy to create but still look impressive.

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Here is one from articulate that does not include any motion paths, just slides (or layers) and triggers

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Here is one of the videos I used in creating my first accordion (it was complicated...did a lot of watch, rewind, pause, create)

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Mark Spermon - Articulate Storyline Tutorials

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How To Create An Awesome Accordion Interaction In Storyline 360

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Motion paths, triggers, variables (the most challenging)

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Motion paths, triggers, variables (the most challenging)

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Here is another accordion that has a lot going on with it! Up for the challenge...give it a try!

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This is a source file with a more challenging accordion that includes triggers to open and close each tab no matter which order you go in. (similar to what you will see in the video above) It is a great resource to use and practice with.

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Accordion Interactions with Conditional Next Button in Storyline 360

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Animations- Introduction to Powtoon and Vyond
we will look at the two pieces of software that is currently widely used for animations. This is a hands-on class- download the trial version so you can work along and get a feel for the software.